Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[CGVT]

I don't think CFR will rise but simple math isn't in favor of less suffering. Waiting for a vaccine to blunt adverse human impact is about all that's left and working to keep myself as safe as possible while still trying to enjoy life.

I think we've been at this point for quite a while.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Something highly appropriate that on a rare day where Trump actually attends church, it's a church in Las Vegas

[Dr. Strangelove]

COVID news is rife with records set. We are in a fuck it, go for it mode and that's globally. That's probably as bad as lock it down.

I think people are numb to rising case numbers. So, I don't know what the value of media continuing to scream about it is. Falling on deaf ears. Governments are getting push-back on mitigation measures with law enforcement refusing to enforce business closures, curfews and the like.

I don't think CFR will rise but simple math isn't in favor of less suffering. Waiting for a vaccine to blunt adverse human impact is about all that's left and working to keep myself as safe as possible while still trying to enjoy life.

I've seen Belgium pointed out as an example that herd immunity is more difficult to achieve than the anti-mitigation people believe. They had a huge number of cases per million back in the spring and here they are again, one of the worst hit countries in the fall.

[Ghengis Jon]

Jeff, I think you've hit it. My wife showed me this comment from the Facebook group she belongs to. The gal speaking is a hair stylist in Macomb county.


I am so done with covid. Screw it all. I'd like to catch it and get the immunity. I want to get it from my neighbors who have covid, but they aren't coming out much.


This type of brain dead mentality poses a public health threat. Willingness to be a spreader until infection is confirmed. I'm at a loss for words.

A mask mandate somehow violates your freedom yet is okay to potentially/intentionally deprive an innocent of their right to life and pursuit of happiness?

Something highly appropriate that on a rare day where Trump actually attends church, it's a church in Las Vegas

Did he marry Elvis to sway the LGBTQRSTUVWXYZ vote?

[AlabamAlum]

”I am so done with covid. Screw it all. I'd like to catch it and get the immunity. I want to get it from my neighbors who have covid, but they aren't coming out much.”

Jon,

It’s Covid fatigue. Such fatigue is not an uncommon reaction in longterm events like this. We’ve noted it in other drawn out health crises (wars, other epidemics, etc). Like the soldier saying “I hope this caravan is attacked and I catch some shrapnel so I can go home” - even though the odds that he or some of his buddies wouldn’t bleed out or suffer a serious disability due to such an event is low.

It’s a type of depressive resignation; it’s not logical, but it is a very human event sequela to such a drawn out event or condition.

[Ghengis Jon]

I get that. But society also suffers when it takes an ambivalent attitude toward suicidal/reckless behavior. It is condoning such behavior if it's minimized as simply 'fatigue'. I do not want my elderly mother murdered by someone who is 'tired' of dealing with covid and deliberately, without regard to others, acts recklessly.

I'm not implying you harbor such attitudes. I'm troubled by society's increasing shrug of the shoulders to dangerous intentional behavior. Being chronically asthmatic, my son wears both a mask and a face shield at work. He reported yesterday that 31 of 55 customers on his shift did not wear masks despite a sign on the door barring entry to any without masks. He wears a mask with a clear part in the center so the deaf lip readers that come every day are accommodated. The company doesn't pay for those, my son does, he sees an opportunity to help people above and beyond. He says not a day goes by without some jackass inquiring about the 'weird' facemask and then insult him as paranoid for both shield and mask.

Covid seems to bring out the best and worst of people.

[AlabamAlum]

Yes, society suffers, no doubt, but logic is tough to inject into this type of “que sera” depressive event.

And I never thought you were talking about me. I don’t want Covid; I wear a mask, stay away from people who don’t, etc, etc.

[AlabamAlum]

Re: your son: And yeah, people are often shitty. Jerks and assholes abound.

[CGVT]

FWIW, I noticed while watching the Alabama/GA game last night that there was a marked difference between masked/unmasked fans. The shots of the Bama fans seemed to show mostly masked fans. The shots of the GA fans showed very few masks. Not sure if it means anything or not, but it was noticeable.

I was also heartened in my visit to Tuscaloosa last week that masks were prevalent, both on campus and in the community. Alabama has a state wide mask mandate. Georgia does not. There also seems to be more masks in my area of Alabama, a very heavy Trumpster area, BTW, than there was earlier in the year.

[Ghengis Jon]

The rhetorical question is why is it that only the maskless are, without provocation, belligerent? Madness of the Crowds trickling down to the individual level? If that's the case, we need the vaccine pronto.

[CGVT]

The rhetorical question is why is it that only the maskless are, without provocation, belligerent? Madness of the Crowds trickling down to the individual level? If that's the case, we need the vaccine pronto.

Yes. I feel that we need to hold the line as much as possible until a vaccine becomes readily available.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Mentioned those early states voting yesterday...between yesterday morning and today, Texas has gone from 29% to 43%. Pretty incredible early rush of voting there.

3,881,004 have already voted. 8,969,226 voted in 2016.

[iam416]

I do not want my elderly mother murdered by someone who is 'tired' of dealing with covid and deliberately, without regard to others, acts recklessly.

She should stay inside. Pretty simple.

As for me, I'd much rather not get Covid, but I'm not terrified, scared or particularly worried if I do get it. The math is the math on it. My risk tolerance is certainly higher than 0.5%. And I'm in my late 40s. For the kids, it's a virtually non-existent risk. I'm certainly in favor of virtually zero-cost mitigation efforts -- i.e., masks -- but the more you ask younger people to fuck themselves so that they don't increase the risk for people over 80, the more I push back.

At risk folks should shutter up and keep shuttered up. That's what my mom has done and my in-laws. They are entirely shuttered, but neither will hug their children or grandchildren or come into our house. They know our kids are still social and are taking steps to mitigate against.

So, I think AA is correct re Covid fatigue being a natural thing, but I think he's especially correct when you're talking about people who are basically not at any substantial risk. And he's especially right about people who aren't at any substantial risk and who are being ask to suffer economically for an indefinite period of time. That's a pretty big ask.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Angela Merkel, in her routine briefing to the German people on Friday, implored citizens to change they're behavior....don't go to parties don't visit neighbors, stay out of bars......the German people will determine the future of Covid over our Christmas holidays.

This sort of solution to community spread has become baked in to public health strategies. Its not working. Covid fatigue plays a part but once the cat is out of the bag, exponential growth takes over. Its hard to get % positives <3% or the number of tests per + test > 250. Yes, you can do it ......lock everything and everybody down China style. That won't play in the rest of free society.

Alternative responses exist. I've laid them out here. I linked to an Economist article that shit on the Labor party in the UK for going back to lock downs. Some local law enforcement has told government they won't enforce it.

Time to get realistic about the virus, limit but accept human impact and start working on improved testing, tracing and vaccine distribution mechanisms. Not hard.

[Ghengis Jon]

Wearing a mask for the good of all and not being belligerent about it is not a big ask imo. Unfortunately there's a lot of idiots who equivocate wearing a mask to being economically locked down and react with the same intensity.